India have set the bar high for themselves by putting the West Indies away so emphatically in the first Test.
The West Indies tried to hit the ground running in Rajkot, but they looked off the pace from the start.
India vs West Indies | 12 October – 16 October | Rajiv Ghandi International Stadium
To Win Match
India 1/10
Draw 35/1
West Indies 18/1
India
The only pressure on anyone associated with the India Test team right now is on chief selector MSK Prasad. His decision to elevate Hanuma Vihari ahead of Karun Nair into the Test squad has been widely criticised.
Vihari could possibly play the second Test, should India decide they need an extra batsman, but he is likely to spend the match carrying drinks. The West Indies’ batting prowess is so clearly deficient to India that five specialist batsmen seem almost surplus to requirements.
There have been calls for skipper Virat Kohli to be rested in order to get a look at uncapped batsman Mayank Agarwal ahead of a massive tour to Australia at the end of the year.
A duck early in the Test saw Lokesh Rahul effectively taken out of the game in Rajkot, but dropping him for a single bad score would seem harsh, especially considering his ton against England.
The bowling unit looks well balanced, with three frontline spinners and two pacemen providing all the firepower India need.
West Indies
The Windies struggled on a typical Indian wicket in Rajkot. They lacked the cutting edge with the ball – and didn’t trust their defence with bat in hand.
The entire top-order will need to up their game if a similar pitch is rolled out in Hyderabad.
The tourists should be boosted by the return of skipper Jason Holder, whose all-round talents were sorely missed after an ankle injury ruled him out of the innings defeat in the first Test. Holder’s batting down the order could add some steel to the West Indies – and of course the regular skipper should be the best man to lead any side.
Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite are the two men most likely to hit the ‘daddy’ centuries the Windies will need to keep them in any contest with India.
For the Windies, this Test will be less about winning and more about closing the gulf between themselves and the number one-ranked Test team in the world.
Verdict: India 1/10
It was men against boys in the first Test – and that gap between the two sides is extremely unlikely to close in the few days between matches.
